Real estate agents love to boast about how quickly they sell a listing, with headlines like, “Sold in 3 days!” Or even, “Sold in the Private Network!” I certainly do this!

In light of the recent lawsuits decrying agents for making thousands for “opening doors” or “sticking a listing online”, we realize that this messaging is doing our industry a disservice. When an agent says they sold a home in 3 days, that does NOT mean that only 3 days of work went into that home’s sale. This is a very brief list of the work that we put into each of our listings.

1. Met and spoke with the owners multiple times many months before listing their home to fully evaluate markets, valuation, and timing considerations.
2. Conducted extensive market research, evaluating which properties we were competing with and exactly how ours compared.
3. Gathered all disclosures and cross-checked all data.
4. Spent many weeks preparing the property to show at its very peak, including repairs, painting, staging, decluttering, curb appeal, and more.
5. Produced professional photography, videography, and floor plans. We plan far in advance when possible and plan the photography around the weather, i.e. taking photos in the fall for a winter listing, or timing with the flowers blooming in spring.
6. Priced strategically to attract the most qualified, real buyers.
7. Ran a Coming Soon campaign to allow some early exposure and help evaluate our pricing strategy.
8. Distributed the listing globally via the MLS system and multiple other aggregators.
9. Launched our carefully structured marketing and advertising campaign. Designed custom brochures, flyers, feature sheets, MLS remarks, and more.
10. Held an open house and/or broker tour on the first listed weekend.
11. Evaluated multiple bids if necessary, called for “highest & best”, and helped the sellers navigate which offer was in their best interests based on myriad criteria.
12. Scheduled inspections and appraisals. Remained in constant communication with the buyer’s agent and the attorneys.
13. Negotiated any inspection issues found, or appealed the appraisal if it comes back under the contract price.
14. Conducted vacancy checks for any unoccupied properties, sometimes for months before reaching the closing date, addressing small repairs as needed.
15. Once closed, our work continues, as we make ourselves available to all past and current clients at all times for any real estate concerns or questions.

Though the home might only be on the market for 3 days, it takes weeks or months of preparation to facilitate a quick, lucrative transaction. And it took years to hone the expertise required, and millions of dollars to develop the technology we employ.

I hope you don’t mind me hopping back up on my soapbox! I am passionate about the work we do and know that a talented agent’s services are invaluable.

I would be happy to discuss the details about the future of the real estate industry with any of you and to share the un-sensationalized truth about recent headlines. Reach out anytime!