Rochester Real Estate | LOCAL Homes For Sale https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com Rochester Real Estate | LOCAL Homes For Sale | Homes for sale in Rochester, NY, LOCAL Rochester real estate listings, market data, REALTOR® info, and high quality content updated every 15 minutes! Wed, 25 Jun 2025 11:50:30 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/cropped-SITE-LOGO-512-x-512-1-32x32.png 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home – Rochester Real Estate | LOCAL Homes For Sale https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com 32 32 June Home Maintenance Checklist: 40+ Must-Do Tasks to Prepare Your Home for Summer https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/june-home-maintenance-checklist-summer-prep/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=20501 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> May Home Maintenance Checklist: 30 Essential Tasks to Prepare Your Home for Summer https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/may-home-maintenance-checklist/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=20484 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> April Home Maintenance Checklist: How To Prepare Your Rochester NY Home For Spring https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/april-home-maintenance-checklist/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=20364 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> March Home Maintenance Checklist: Get Your New York Home Ready for Spring https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/march-home-maintenance-checklist/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=20338 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> How to Buy a House in New York https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/buy-a-house-in-new-york/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19906 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> How to Sell a House in New York https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/sell-a-house-in-new-york/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19905 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Risks of Buying a Non-Warrantable Condo In New York: What You Need to Know https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/non-warrantable-condo/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19796 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> What Builders Should Know About Spec Construction Loans In New York https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/builders-spec-construction-loans/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19795 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Moving To The Finger Lakes Region Of New York | Guide To Relocating To The Finger Lakes https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/moving-to-the-finger-lakes-region/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19875 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Navigating the Numbers: The Pros and Cons of Using Online Home Value Estimators For New York Real Estate https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/pros-cons-online-home-value-estimators/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19794 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> The Role of Location in Home Valuation In New York https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/role-of-location-home-valuation/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19768 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Lowe’s vs U-Haul: A Review of Truck Rental Companies https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/lowes-vs-uhaul/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19758 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Understanding the Importance of a Seller’s Property Condition Disclosure https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/property-condition-disclosure-statement/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19632 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> What are Delayed Showings and Negotiations in Real Estate In New York? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/delayed-showings-negotiations/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19547 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> 8 Viable Tactics to Selling Your Home and Moving Out of State https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/selling-home-moving-out-of-state/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19542 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Unconventional Methods for Selling a House: Thinking Outside the Box https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/unconventional-methods-for-selling-a-house/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19519 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Should I Sell My House Off Market: Pros and Cons Explained https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/sell-house-off-market/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19503 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> What is PITI and How Does It Affect Your Mortgage https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/what-is-piti/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19498 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> How To Set A Home Renovation Budget https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/home-renovation-budget/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19490 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> How Does A Co-Borrowers Credit Scores Affect A Home Purchase? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/co-borrower-credit-score/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19474 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> New Construction Final Walk-Through Checklist: Ensuring a Seamless Home Inspection https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/new-construction-final-walk-through/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19458 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Essential Tips for Pumping a Septic Tank: What You Need to Know https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/pumping-a-septic-tank/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19450 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Can You Submit Multiple Offers On Homes At Once – A Legal And Ethical Analysis https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/multiple-offers-on-homes-at-once/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19414 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> How to Get Your Home Photo Ready for Real Estate Listings https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/real-estate-photo-ready/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19409 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> What Does a Home Builder’s Warranty Cover? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/home-builders-warranty/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19394 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> July 2023 Greater Rochester NY Area Real Estate Market Update https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/july-2023-rochester-ny-real-estate-market-update/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19403 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Who Pays Real Estate Commission When You Buy or Sell a Home https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/real-estate-commission/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19366 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Quitclaim Deeds: What You Need to Know https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/quitclaim-deeds/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19358 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> What to Know About Selling a Home As Is for Cash https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/selling-home-as-is-cash/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19347 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> How to Know if My House Has Paranormal Activity https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/is-my-house-haunted/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19342 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Why Find The History of a House https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/find-history-house/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19316 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> June 2023 Greater Rochester NY Area Real Estate Market Update https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/june-2023-rochester-ny-area-real-estate-market-update/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19313 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> What Does a Real Estate Lawyer Do? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/real-estate-lawyer/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19181 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> May 2023 Greater Rochester NY Area Real Estate Market Update https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/may-2023-rochester-ny-area-real-estate-market-update/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19162 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> What to Know About Buying a Home For The First Time https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/buying-home-first-time/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=19058 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> <strong>What Should a Buyer Look For at a Home Inspection?</strong> https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/what-look-for-home-inspection/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18983 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Companies That Buy Houses For Cash Reviewed https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/companies-buy-houses-for-cash/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18889 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Does Home Staging Work and What is The Cost? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/does-home-staging-work/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18814 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> What to Avoid When Getting a Mortgage https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/avoid-when-getting-mortgage/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18797 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> <strong>5 Options For Replacing a Roof Reviewed</strong> https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/replacing-roof/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18771 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> What Are Restrictive Covenants in Real Estate? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/restrictive-covenants/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18714 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Can The Court Force The Sale of Your House in Divorce? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/court-force-sale-divorce/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18693 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Real Estate Agent vs. Broker: What&#8217;s The Difference? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/real-estate-agent-vs-broker/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18650 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> How To Determine Square Feet In Your House For More Accurate Property Estimates https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/determine-square-feet/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18167 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> 3 Things That Often Results in a Real Estate Agent Getting Sued https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/real-estate-agent-sued/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18133 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> The Top 5 Types Of Home Inspections Buyers Should Consider https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/5-types-home-inspections/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18119 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> The Pros And Cons Of Rent To Own Homes: What You Need To Know https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/pros-cons-rent-own-homes/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18104 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> 5 Smart Things To Do Before Moving That Will Help Ease Your Transition https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/things-before-moving/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18084 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> How to Become a Real Estate Agent https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/become-real-estate-agent/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=18071 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Renting A House Or An Apartment: Which Is The Better Option https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/renting-house-apartment/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=17871 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> The 5 Most Important Factors To Consider When Buying A House https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/5-factors-buying-house/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=17851 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> What Buyers And Sellers Need To Know About An Appraisal Gap https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/appraisal-gap/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=17827 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Pros And Cons Of Renting With Roommates – What You Need To Know https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/renting-with-roommates/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=17794 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> 6 Things You Should Know About Buying Land https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/things-know-buying-land/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=17773 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> How Long Should Home Sellers Wait To Respond To An Offer On Their Home? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/home-sellers-wait-respond-offer/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=17745 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> How To Buy A House With A Low Credit Score https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/how-to-buy-a-house-with-a-low-credit-score/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=16819 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Things To Consider When Shipping A Car https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/things-to-consider-when-shipping-a-car/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=16248 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Home Depot Truck Rentals: What to Know Including Pricing https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/home-depot-truck-rentals-what-to-know-including-pricing/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=16156 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> 16 Things To Do Before Listing Your Home For Sale https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/16-things-to-do-before-listing-your-home-for-sale/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=16138 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> The Biggest Home Inspection Mistakes to Avoid https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/biggest-home-inspection-mistakes-to-avoid/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=16112 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> How Your Credit Score Impacts Your Ability To Buy A House https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/how-credit-score-impacts-buying-house/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=16086 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Top Winter Home Selling Mistakes | 7 Errors Made While Selling A House During The Winter https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/top-winter-home-selling-mistakes/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=16051 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Top Winter Home Buying Mistakes | 11 Errors Made While Buying A House During The Winter https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/winter-home-buying-mistakes/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=16013 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> What Address Change Form Should I Use At The Post Office? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/address-change-form-post-office/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15981 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> What Does Contingent Status Mean in Real Estate? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/what-does-contingent-status-mean-real-estate/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15956 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> DIY Renovation Ideas For Your Backyard https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/diy-renovation-ideas-backyard/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15937 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> How to Rent Your First Apartment Guide https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/how-to-rent-an-apartment/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15931 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Tips For Selling A Home Virtually https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/tips-selling-a-home-virtually/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15907 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> The Complete Winter Storage Checklist For Your Belongings https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/winter-storage-checklist/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15885 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Should I Waive My Home Inspection When Buying A House? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/should-i-waive-my-home-inspection/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15870 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> The Biggest Self Storage Companies Reviewed https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/biggest-self-storage-companies/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15836 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Earnest Money and House Deposits Explained https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/earnest-money-house-deposits-explained/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15760 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Moving Mistakes To Avoid https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/moving-mistakes-to-avoid/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15568 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Top Mortgage Myths | Demystifying Common Home Loan Misconceptions https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/top-mortgage-myths/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=15102 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> First-Time Home Buyer Mistakes to Avoid https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/first-time-home-buyer-mistakes/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=14815 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> 10 Tips For Adding Appeal To Your Home This Summer https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/10-tips-adding-appeal-to-home-this-summer/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=14237 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Exploring The Merits of Smart Home Technology When Selling a Home https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/smart-home-technology-selling-a-home/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=13782 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Top Frequently Asked Questions From Home Sellers https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/top-frequently-asked-questions-home-sellers/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=2424 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> First Time Home Buyer Programs In Rochester NY &#8211; Updated January 2025 https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/first-time-home-buyer-programs/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock http://rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=580 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> How New Doors &#038; Windows Can Boost Your Home Value https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/how-new-doors-windows-boost-your-home-value/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=13643 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Top 5 Things To Know When Flipping Your First House https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/5-things-to-know-when-flipping-your-first-house/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=13574 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> What Are The Best Mortgage Options for Self Employed Borrowers? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/mortgage-options-for-self-employed-borrowers/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=13450 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Top 10 Best Places To See Christmas Lights In Rochester NY https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/top-10-best-places-see-christmas-lights-rochester-ny/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=10236 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> What Are The PROs And CONs Of Multifamily Homes? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-multifamily-homes/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=13219 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> What Low-Cost Home Improvements Should You Make Before Selling Your Home? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/low-cost-home-improvements-you-should-make-before-selling-your-home/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=13114 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> 15 Things Millennial Home Buyers Look At While Buying A House https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/15-things-millennial-home-buyers-look-at-while-buying-a-house/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=13028 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> How Does A Fence Increase The Value Of Your Home https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/how-does-a-fence-increase-the-value-of-your-home/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12995 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> 5 Simple &#038; Low Cost Fixes To Make Your Home More Appealing To Buyers https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/5-simple-and-low-cost-fixes-to-make-your-home-more-appealing-to-buyers/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12779 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> How To Improve A Homes Curb Appeal In Rochester NY https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/how-to-improve-a-homes-curb-appeal-rochester-ny/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12665 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> 7 Ways to Create an Energy-Efficient Home While Conserving Your Budget https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/7-ways-create-an-energy-efficient-home/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12633 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Hiring Movers Vs. Moving Yourself | The PROs &#038; CONs Of Each https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/hiring-movers-vs-moving-yourself/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12592 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Should You Pay Off Student Loans Before Purchasing a Home? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/pay-off-student-loans-before-purchasing-a-home/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12531 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Should I Build A New Home Or Buy An Existing Home? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/should-i-build-a-new-home-or-buy-an-existing-home/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=2497 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> Buying A Condo Vs. Renting A Condo | What Are The PROs &#038; CONs? https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/buying-a-condo-vs-renting-a-condo/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12402 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> 9 Money Saving Moving Tips | How To Cut Costs When Moving https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/9-money-saving-moving-tips/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12341 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> How to Create a Proper Home Maintenance Checklist https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/how-to-create-a-proper-home-maintenance-checklist/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12300 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> 5 Tips For Tenant Screening | How To Weed Out Bad Tenant Applicants https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/tips-for-tenant-screening/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12291 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> The Best Social Media Blogs For Real Estate From 2017 https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/best-social-media-blogs-2017/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12045 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> The Best Home Improvement Blogs From 2017 | Advice For Home Remodeling https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/best-home-improvement-blogs-2017/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12044 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]> The Best Mortgage Blogs From 2017 | Advice For Home Financing https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/best-mortgage-blogs-2017/ Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000 Kyle Hiscock https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/?p=12043 10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home[/caption] Selling a home can be a very stressful experience.  Tasks such as consistently getting and keeping a home ready for showings and having to wonder when and if a home is going to sell are just a couple examples of the stressful things that a seller experiences when selling their home. What about selecting the real estate agent who will be selling your home?  It's extremely important that you select the "right" real estate agent to sell your home.  In most communities across the United States there are several hundred or even thousands of real estate agents to choose from!  Every real estate agent has different personal traits, different selling techniques, different ways to market homes, and different skill levels, just to name a few differences.  In the majority of communities there are a handful of top producing real estate agents, a fair amount of average real estate agents, and lots of bad real estate agents. So, what should be expected of the real estate agent when selling your home?  If your home is currently listed by a real estate agent and the following 10 things are not being practiced, then unfortunately your real estate agent falls into the "lots of bad real estate agent" category.  If you haven't chosen your real estate agent yet, be sure to be on the lookout for the following 10 things! The following 10 things are extremely important for a real estate agent to possess in order to be successful in getting your home sold! Honesty Being honest and telling the truth are extremely important (and also part of the National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics) traits to look for in a real estate agent.  While it's not always possible to tell when a person is being dishonest or not telling the truth, there are other ways to tell if a real estate agent is telling the truth! A great way to find out if a real estate agent is an honest person is to ask them for five of their recent sellers' contact information.  Keep in mind, however, any past seller must give their permission for the real estate agent to provide their contact information.  Once you have five of their past clients information, pick up the phone or e-mail them to ask about their experience working with the agent.  Another good idea to learn about past clients of the real estate agent is to ask for testimonials. If a real estate agent is unable to provide past clients contact information and/or past client testimonials, it usually means either they are not being honest with what they are telling you or they don't have any past clients.  Either way, a real estate agent who cannot provide contact information of past clients or testimonials, maybe a real estate agent to not choose to represent you to sell your home. [caption id="attachment_10184" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area Are You Looking For A Top Real Estate Agent In Your Area?[/caption] Professionalism This is a trait that most sellers' would assume that all real estate agents have, and unfortunately, that is not the case.  What kind of actions show that a real estate agent possesses professionalism?  One "tell tale" way to know if a real estate agent is professional is by their image.  When selling a home, a real estate agent should be well groomed and well dressed.  A real estate agent who wears ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers is less likely to be taken seriously by his colleagues as well as prospective buyers of your home. Another extremely important part of professionalism for a real estate agent to possess, is their respect of others time.  It's very frustrating for a real estate agent who coordinates private viewings on several homes, just to have a buyer show up 20 minutes late or never show up.  A seller should expect the same of their real estate agent.  If an initial appointment is setup for a real estate agent to look at your home at a specific time and they show up 20 minutes late, they are likely lacking in the professionalism "department," as they clearly don't respect your time! Strong Negotiation Skills The job of a real estate agent who is representing a seller, in a nut-shell, is to get the most money for their clients home in the least amount of time!  A real estate agent should know what to say to a buyers representative and when to say it.  A sellers real estate agent should not send a counter-offer from their client back to the buyers representative without any dialogue.  If this were the case, what is the need for real estate agents?  The sellers real estate agents job is to be the voice of the seller! Generally in life there are people who avoid confrontation and conflict at all costs.  If this is the personality of a sellers real estate agent, the seller is likely to not maximize the price they receive for their house! [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home Real Estate Agents Must Be Creative When Selling Your Home[/caption] Creativity Selling a home is not as easy as putting a sign in your front lawn and waiting for a full price offer.  There are many real estate agents who do believe this works, also known as a "post and pray Realtor."  Creativity is a very important trait for a real estate agent to have when selling a home.  No two homes are exactly the same, therefore, every home has to be marketed in their own special way.  A real estate agent must be creative with the use of their property description, angles they take their photos, and how they write their advertisements. Much of the general public believes that selling real estate is a very easy career and that lots of money can be made with very little effort and time!  This leads to many real estate agents entering the business, many of which don't take into consideration what it truly takes to sell real estate!  Creativity is one trait where many new real estate agents fall short because it's not as simple as putting a sign in the front yard of a home and expecting it to sell!  This ultimately leads to these new real estate agents failing in the business! Experience & Proven Results A very common mistake made by sellers when selling a home is not researching the real estate agents experience and past results.  It's very common that a seller will choose a real estate agent because they are their best friend or a colleagues spouse.  Certainly their best friend or colleagues spouse could be a great real estate agent, but make sure you know this is really the case before choosing them!  Selecting the first real estate agent you know can be a huge mistake! When selling your home, make sure to find out how many transactions they do over the course of a year.  Are they a full-time real estate agent or a part-timer?  Do they have experience selling similar homes?  A full-time real estate agent who sells 100 homes a year and has been doing so for the past 5 years has a better chance of selling your home than a part-time real estate agent who has been in the business for 6 months and has sold one home!  The more transactions a real estate agent does, the better they will know how to handle specific situations! A Great Company & Personal Reputation One thing that can be detrimental to a real estate company or real estate agent is a poor reputation!  The most successful real estate agents will get a large percentage of repeat and referral business.  Certainly an agent with a poor reputation or a company with a poor reputation will not!  When selling a home, researching the local real estate companies and agents is important.  It's very easy with the internet now to see what a real estate company or real estate agents online reputation and reviews are. In most communities across the country, there is one real estate broker who is known as the "go-to" for real estate.  It isn't necessarily always a national company or franchise either.  If unsure, a non-statistical way to find out is by driving down your neighborhood streets to see which companies for-sale signs are prominent.  Another excellent way to find out which real estate company is the "go-to" for local real estate is by asking a real estate agent for the market share statistics.  A real estate agent should be able to provide these statistics for each and every community in their coverage area.  Remember, a great real estate company and an agent with a great reputation is important! Large Network Of Business Connections Great professionals align themselves with other great professionals.  When selecting a real estate agent to sell a home, it's important to find out what service and business connections they have to offer.  Do they have real estate attorneys to suggest?  Do they have mortgage consultants to suggest to potential purchasers?  Do they have a relocation network they belong too?  Do they have movers they can suggest once the house is sold?  If you're interviewing, ask the real estate agent for a list of their preferred partner or vendor list!  A real estate agent should be able to provide this list of service and business recommendations in no time! Frequent Communication Lack of communication is one of the most reoccurring feedback topics from a dissatisfied seller!  As mentioned above, selling a home is stressful, and not being communicated with from your real estate agent can make it even worse.  As imagined, a seller who selects an agent with poor communication may start to wonder if their real estate agent is even selling real estate anymore! A very important interview question to ask a real estate agent is about their communication.  There are many real estate agents who don't feel the need to follow up for feedback from private showings of their sellers property.  This is a huge disservice to their clients!  It's extremely important that a real estate agent provides feedback from the buyers real estate agent, in a timely fashion.  While this isn't always possible as some buyers agent may never provide feedback, 95% of the time a seller should expect feedback from showings on their property! It's also important to find out how a real estate agent communicates.  A real estate agent should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during "business hours," that's how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it's very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. [caption id="attachment_1617" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent Exceptional Technology, Marketing, & Social Media Presence Should Be Expected From Your Real Estate Agent[/caption] Use Of "Cutting-Edge" Technology Staying current on the greatest and latest technology is extremely important for real estate agents now-a-days!  It's important to find out what technology tools that a real estate agent utilizes when selling a home!  The fact of the matter is many real estate agents are still stuck in the "stone-age" and are miles behind in technology.  Believe it or not, there are still real estate agents who don't know how to utilize e-mail and still fax purchase offers! Utilizing technology helps a real estate agent be more efficient and have more time to spend on selling homes!  Some very popular technology tools that help real estate agents include tools such as digital signature software, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, and Buffer.  There are many cutting-edge "tech" tools that real estate agents should be utilizing! Another thing to ask a real estate agent prior to selecting them to sell your home is about the quality of their photos.  Does the real estate agent take high quality photos by using a top of the line camera?  Since so many buyers start their home search online, it's imperative that the photos of your home are high quality.  If a real estate agent takes poor photos, it's possible a buyer will rule out your home before even walking through your front door! A Comprehensive Marketing Plan It's important to understand that an overpriced home cannot be sold by the best real estate agent in town who has the best marketing plan!  Overpricing a home is a very common mistake that sellers make.  So what does a comprehensive marketing plan entail?  A real estate agent needs to have a strong balance of both "older" marketing tactics and "newer" marketing tactics in their plan! "Older" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as newspaper advertisements, direct mailings, and television advertising.  The first thing you need to find out from a real estate agent is whether or not they utilize these forms of marketing.  Many real estate agents will not because it costs them money.  It's also a good idea to ask a real estate agent about the frequency of these marketing tactics.  Do they plan on putting the house in the newspaper once a month?  On TV every other month?  This can eliminate any frustration down the road when you don't see your home in the newspaper on a daily basis! "Newer" marketing tactics that you should expect from a real estate agent include tactics such as their own personal website, their own personal blog, and active social media profiles.  It's important not only for the real estate agents broker to have a prominent website but also their own website as it generates a greater chance for your home to be found online!  Seeing as the majority of home buyers are now starting their search online, it's crucial that a real estate agent has a very strong online presence. A couple things to consider; Is the real estate agent active on Pinterest?  Is the real estate agent an active blogger?  Do they have a strong following on Twitter?  If a real estate agent is lacking their own website, their own blog, or is not active on social media websites, you may want to reconsider selecting them to sell your home! The above 10 things are something that you should expect from your real estate agent when selling a home!  In order for a real estate professional to have a long and successful career, they must possess these things.  If not, it's likely they will not make it in the business.  What other things do you think should be expected from a real estate agent when selling a home?  Other Home Selling Resources If you are planning on selling your home in the Webster, NY or surround areas, please contact us as we'd love to explain how we will get the job done!  We are top real estate agents in the Webster, NY and surrounding areas.  We simply do things different than other real estate agents!    
About the authors:  The above article "10 Things to Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling A Home" was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock).  With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.]]>